Fish for a 14g nano

squirt24 · 02-09-2007, 05:09 PM

ok, here's the first of my questions...
In a 14 gallon nano tank with rock, which fish would be best to have? goby, clown fish, etc. i want to make sure that the fish get along. im interested in having fish that arent common, but, if its not possible i guess i can settle for ordinary ones.
if i do get clown fish is it necessary to have an anemone?

thanks

inwall75 · 02-09-2007, 05:38 PM

Add a clown goby (citrin goby) and a firefish. Both are brightly colored and stay relatively small.

Clownfish do not require anemone's

squirt24 · 02-09-2007, 05:42 PM

oh ok, thank you, ill keep that in mind.

should i only have one of each or a pair?

inwall75 · 02-09-2007, 05:49 PM

With nano tanks, I like to stay conservative on the stocking levels.

I wouldn't add a pair of either.

The clown goby (not a clownfish) likes to perch on the rock and is bright yellow. The firefish is always swimming. As a result, they will won't see the other one as an enemy in his territory.

squirt24 · 02-09-2007, 05:53 PM

ok. but is this including the cleaner crabs and a cleaner fish?

inwall75 · 02-09-2007, 05:59 PM

Most herbivorous fish won't fit in a 14g nano. You can add snails and optionally some crabs. I assumed that you intended to stock these animals. That's why I recommended few fish.....clean-up crews add to the bioload of a tank as well.

squirt24 · 02-09-2007, 06:12 PM

im new to the hobby. i basically have no idea what im doing. can you explain?

inwall75 · 02-09-2007, 06:39 PM

OK...you said a couple of code words and had a basic understanding so I didn't know how new you were. A good first step would be to read the 3 steps Matt has written up near the bottom of the home page. Please understand that MATT IS COMPLETELY WRONG ABOUT MANTIS and they are definately your friend.

(The avatar in my signature are the eyes of a peacock mantis). Regardless of Matt's obvious speciesism against mantis, I forgive him because other than that, he's a real great guy.

OK...let's break this down a little. Bioload equals the amount of animals that you have in a closed system like a tank. If you add too many animals for a particular system, you might accidentally end up with no live animals. There are rules of thumb that a lot of people use but there are other reasons to do exactly what you did. Ask for help. Often there aren't issues with too many animals....some animals just are downright nasty to others and you can accidentally end up with deaths if you don't get the facts ahead of time. For instance, while I've kept mantis in nano tanks with fish for years with no losses, it's not a good idea for most people to attempt it. Other fish are highly territorial and you throw the wrong two fish in a 14g tank together and you might as well have thrown 2 pit-bulls together.

Clean-up crews are shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, etc. that eat uneaten food, fish poo, algae, etc.

Most fish that would be considered a cleaner fish that eats algae, etc. are quite large fish. Even if you bought a baby one, it would quickly get too big for a 14g.

turbo4603 · 02-09-2007, 08:13 PM

Good info inwall!!!
What he ment Mitsy about "herbivorous fish " are fish like tangs. Fish that require lots of algae, and lots of swiming space. No you dont need a anemone for your clown, they do perfectly well without them. Yes, there are really rare clownfish and real nice gobies that dont look too ordinary, just you gotta research them. But your headed the right direction with your questions!!! Ima be talking a bit more to you about the fish that you can place in there.

Inwall, her tank is gonna be set up with water, sand, and rocks that have been established in my tank for over 4 years. So there shouldnt be too much of a cycle going on. Main goal is to have a small reef tank with maybe some xenias, zoos, mushrooms, and maybe a rico or two. You know, easy pretty stuff. And also her small fishes.

inwall75 · 02-09-2007, 08:25 PM

Turbo,

I feel setup.

Just kidding. Squirt....you're in good hands IMO.